Comparer Conjugation in French
comparer means “to compare” in English, and it is one of the verbs French learners meet early — it sits at frequency rank 229 in VerbFlow’s French list. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and this page gives you its complete conjugation — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Je compare les livres tous les jours.” — “I compare the books every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: comparer
- English: to compare
- Verb type: Non-reflexive, Regular
- Irregular in: no tense — fully regular
- Gerund: en comparant
- Past participle: comparé
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for comparer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for comparer. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | compare |
| tu | compares |
| il/elle | compare |
| nous | comparons |
| vous | comparez |
| ils/elles | comparent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | comparai |
| tu | comparas |
| il/elle | compara |
| nous | comparâmes |
| vous | comparâtes |
| ils/elles | comparèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | comparais |
| tu | comparais |
| il/elle | comparait |
| nous | comparions |
| vous | compariez |
| ils/elles | comparaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | comparerai |
| tu | compareras |
| il/elle | comparera |
| nous | comparerons |
| vous | comparerez |
| ils/elles | compareront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | comparerais |
| tu | comparerais |
| il/elle | comparerait |
| nous | comparerions |
| vous | compareriez |
| ils/elles | compareraient |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai comparé |
| tu | as comparé |
| il/elle | a comparé |
| nous | avons comparé |
| vous | avez comparé |
| ils/elles | ont comparé |
Pluperfect (past perfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais comparé |
| tu | avais comparé |
| il/elle | avait comparé |
| nous | avions comparé |
| vous | aviez comparé |
| ils/elles | avaient comparé |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai comparé |
| tu | auras comparé |
| il/elle | aura comparé |
| nous | aurons comparé |
| vous | aurez comparé |
| ils/elles | auront comparé |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais comparé |
| tu | aurais comparé |
| il/elle | aurait comparé |
| nous | aurions comparé |
| vous | auriez comparé |
| ils/elles | auraient comparé |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | compare |
| tu | compares |
| il/elle | compare |
| nous | comparions |
| vous | compariez |
| ils/elles | comparent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | comparasse |
| tu | comparasses |
| il/elle | comparât |
| nous | comparassions |
| vous | comparassiez |
| ils/elles | comparassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | compare |
| nous | comparons |
| vous | comparez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | compare |
| nous | comparons |
| vous | comparez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en comparant |
| Past participle | comparé |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Je compare les livres tous les jours.” — “I compare the books every day.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu comparas les livres la semaine dernière.” — “You compared the books last week.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il comparait les livres ce matin.” — “He used to compare the books this morning.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, and for predictions. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Nous comparerons les livres.” — “We will compare the books.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Vous compareriez les livres.” — “You would compare the books.”
Present perfect
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ils ont comparé les livres hier.” — “They have compared the books yesterday.”
Pluperfect (past perfect)
The pluperfect (past perfect) is used for an action completed before another past action. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “J'avais comparé les livres hier.” — “I had compared the books yesterday.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Tu auras comparé les livres la semaine prochaine.” — “You will have compared the books next week.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il aurait comparé les livres ce matin.” — “He would have compared the books this morning.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il est important que nous comparions les livres tous les jours.” — “It is important that We compare the books every day.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mostly in formal and literary French. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Il fallait que vous comparassiez les livres hier.” — “It was necessary that You compare the books yesterday.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Comparez les livres !” — “Compare the books!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. With comparer this tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard -er pattern. For example: “Ne compare pas les livres !” — “Do not compare the books!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund en comparant is used after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. For example: “En comparant, je commence la journée.” — “While comparing, I start the day.” The past participle comparé is used with avoir in the perfect tenses, as in j'ai comparé — “I have compared the books yesterday.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with comparer, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je compare les livres à la maison.” — “I compare the books at home.”
- “Tu comparas les livres ce matin.” — “You compared the books this morning.”
- “Il comparait les livres avec Paul.” — “He used to compare the books with Paul.”
- “Je comparerai les livres demain.” — “I will compare the books tomorrow.”
- “Tu comparerais les livres tous les jours.” — “You would compare the books every day.”
- “Il a comparé les livres la semaine dernière.” — “He has compared the books last week.”
- “J'avais comparé les livres ce matin.” — “I had compared the books this morning.”
- “Tu auras comparé les livres demain.” — “You will have compared the books tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il compare les livres tous les jours.” — “It is important that He compare the books every day.”
- “Compare les livres !” — “Compare the books!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je comparer les livres.”
✓ Right: “Je compare les livres tous les jours.”
The infinitive comparer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form compare.
2. Using the wrong person
✗ Wrong: “Je compares les livres.”
✓ Right: “Je compare les livres tous les jours.”
compares is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is compare — check the person before you write the form.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Je compare les livres hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai comparé les livres hier.”
Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai comparé here, not the present compare.
4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms
✗ Wrong: “Je comparons les livres.”
✓ Right: “Je compare les livres tous les jours.”
comparons is the nous form. The je form is compare — the two persons never share a form in the present of comparer.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis comparé les livres hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai comparé les livres hier.”
comparer takes avoir in the compound tenses, not être: ai comparé, never the être form.
6. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que nous comparons les livres.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que nous comparions les livres.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use comparions here, not the indicative comparons.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on comparer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of comparer in the Present indicative?
- A) aurai comparé
- B) compare
- C) comparasse
- D) comparez
What is the il/elle form of comparer in the Passé simple?
- A) comparâtes
- B) comparât
- C) compara
- D) a comparé
What is the nous form of comparer in the Imperfect?
- A) comparerons
- B) comparais
- C) comparions
- D) comparerions
What is the tu form of comparer in the Future?
- A) aurais comparé
- B) comparerons
- C) compareras
- D) avais comparé
What is the je form of comparer in the Conditional?
- A) comparai
- B) comparerais
- C) compare
- D) avais comparé
What is the il/elle form of comparer in the Present subjunctive?
- A) compare
- B) comparât
- C) a comparé
- D) compariez
What is the nous form of comparer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) comparerons
- B) avons comparé
- C) aurons comparé
- D) avez comparé
What is the gerund of comparer?
- A) montrant
- B) amenant
- C) coupant
- D) en comparant
What is the past participle of comparer?
- A) analysé
- B) appartenu
- C) comparé
- D) changé
What does comparer mean in English?
- A) stop
- B) compare
- C) build
- D) turn on
Answer key
- B) compare — the je form of comparer in the present indicative is compare. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) compara — the il/elle form of comparer in the passé simple is compara. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) comparions — the nous form of comparer in the imperfect is comparions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- C) compareras — the tu form of comparer in the future is compareras. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) comparerais — the je form of comparer in the conditional is comparerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- A) compare — the il/elle form of comparer in the present subjunctive is compare. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- B) avons comparé — the nous form of comparer in the present perfect (passé composé) is avons comparé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
- D) en comparant — the gerund of comparer is en comparant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) comparé — the past participle of comparer is comparé; perfect tenses use avoir + comparé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) compare — comparer means “to compare” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
How to learn this verb
Learn comparer in three passes. First, say the present tense aloud in order — je compare, tu compares, il compare, nous comparons, vous comparez, ils comparent — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Second, learn the passé composé with its auxiliary: ai comparé shows the pattern, and the participle comparé is the same in every perfect tense. Third, add one new tense a day, always in a sentence, and test yourself the next day before you learn the next one. A verb you can use in a sentence is learnt; a verb you can only recite is not. Use the Verb Quiz and the Verb Conjugator to check what has stuck, and compare comparer with the other verbs in this batch on the French verbs hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does comparer mean in English?
comparer means “to compare”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is comparer regular or irregular?
comparer is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none. comparer is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.
What are the gerund and past participle of comparer?
The gerund is en comparant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as the main verb. The past participle is comparé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in j'ai comparé.
How do I say “I compare” in French?
Say “Je compare les livres tous les jours.” — “I compare the books every day.” The je form of the present is compare, and it is the form you will use most often.
How do you pronounce comparer?
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for comparer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- comparer in the present tense
- comparer examples and quiz
- Conclure conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- Se préparer conjugation — another French verb in this batch.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French irregular verbs — every common irregular French verb, grouped by pattern.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Quiz — practise comparer with the interactive tool.
- Subjunctive Helper — practise comparer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise comparer with the interactive tool.